Modi Govt end of term 2019 view - Part 2
Ayodhya and Kashi:
My private joke in 2015 was that only a multiple missile attack on the Kashi area to raze it to the ground and then rebuilding the city afresh, was the only way given the geographical complexities involved. By 2019 I had to eat humble pie given that the Ganga had been cleaned up beyond recognition. As I mentioned in my 2019 blog, the cleaning of Ganga was conceptualised by that “genius” Sam Pitroda in 1985, 29 years later was as filthy as ever, 5 years under the Modi Govt, the Ganga was gleaming clean and in 2019 was a pleasure to see. A periodic visitor to Kashi told me that earlier he dreaded to walk along the Ganga ghats given that he stepped in a pile of shit often. Today, he said he could walk from one end of the ghats to the other end admiring the Ganga with no risk of filth underfoot.
Even the Manikarnika ghat, where the cremations happen is clean and one could actually take a bath barring for the ashes from the wood flying in the wind. The Kashi Vishwanath temple by itself is splendid with food courts, clean and even if the old world charm is missing, it is a modernisation that was essential. Compared to 2019 the footfalls, hotel rates, the business has gone up exponentially and the modernised facilities will attract the younger and foreign crowds. That such a transformation has happened within 10 years is again a huge tribute to the delivery and execution strategy of the Modi Govt.
At Ayodhya, the Modi Govt will finally inaugurate the grand Sri Rama temple in January 2024 and is a tribute to the single-minded focus of the BJP since 38 years. Any criticism of this event being made political holds no water since it was always a political issue - for 139 Years.
In 1885 a police complaint and a case in court was filed, in 1949 the Govt of India under Nehru declared the area disputed and locked up the temple, in 1989 under Rajiv Gandhi the Govt of India opened the locks to monkey balance the constitutional change made to overturn the SC verdict in the Shah Bano divorce case and the rest as they say is history. The BJP and VHP under LK Advani seized the issue and given the momentum it gathered catapulted BJP from 2 seats in 1984 to 85 seats in 1989. When you realise that the BJP first included construction of a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in its 1986 manifesto and since then has been a consistent agenda till now, anybody today critiquing the Modi Govt as gaining political benefit is being delusional. They promised it in every election and have today delivered.
That over the last 15 years the Govt of India under Congress even filed replies in the court questioning the very existence of Lord Rama was as political as it could get and like earlier, Modi Govt and BJP cannot be accused of abetting the political “suicide” of Congress on this issue. That for 77 years, 4 generations of the owner family of Congress have consistently misread the political mood of the people on this issue is testimony to their wisdom or loyalty. When the history of India is read a hundred years from now, these two landmark developments would find prominent place.
Execution:
The often-repeated claim by the Congress is that most programs of the Modi Govt are their conceptualisation and hence Modi Govt deserves no credit. An ingenious argument which has a ring of truth which the intellectual class loves to throw as arguments.
The Congress Govt announced a Rajiv Gandhi Rural sector LPG scheme where villages would get LPG cylinders at Rs. 600 in 2009. The guidelines to select distributors for this scheme was announced by end 2013 – 4 years later. In between the lobbying of who would get the distributorship was hectic, and widows of armed forces martyrs were identified as one of the distributors. By the time the Congress Govt implemented the decisions, many families of the men in uniform complained they never got the benefits. Party workers, brokers were the first to benefit.
The Modi Govt in May 2016 announced a similar scheme with a new name, tweaked it to be impactful and announced a target of delivering 50 Million connections. By October 2017, 30 Million connections had been delivered.
The lesson in this is that the Congress Govt focus was on the “Rajiv Gandhi” brand, the “Rs. 600 subsidised price” and during implementation ensuring their eco-system benefitted first. The Modi Govt focussed on delivering cylinders to the villages. Even if the most cynical critic claims that a BJP ecosystem benefitted, my reaction – so what? 30 Million households benefited. In the Congress scheme of execution, their eco-system benefitted first, took 4 years to decide the rules to help their own and few villagers benefited.
This has been the story in almost every scheme and project which the Congress eco-system misses. The Modi Govt focussed on execution, implementation, and last mile delivery with a ruthless focus in every case, including in every project conceived by the Congress. The Congress strategy ever since Sonia assumed leadership has been to discard, junk and drop every project started by a BJP Govt, but today complain that Modi claims credit for implementing what they conceived.
One organisation started by the Congress is the NDRF which had politicians on its board, but is today a cutting edge disaster management force that can be the envy of the best in the world. Every crisis across India, they have been at the forefront, quietly helping the distressed and with little applause. Professionals now helm this organisation.
Modi cannot be accused of
abetting the suicide of Congress. To react to some cynics and critics, even if
there was corruption, favouritism, nepotism involved, the KEY difference is
that under the Congress, these occupied the centre stage. In the Modi Govt the
30 million beneficiaries occupied centre stage even if their friends
benefitted. This difference is something that even after 10 years many are
loath to understand.
The Modi Govt leveraged technology to focus on the last mile. Case in point the rural electrification plans. While earlier, electric poles would be laid till the last mile, money earned and no power delivered, except to a select few, the Modi Govt using satellite technology and mobile apps ensured that they could see the last mile homes lighted up in real time. The project was not defined as completed till you could see the light burning as against a pole standing. For most citizens, the proof of the pudding was in the eating, not by the usual suspects, but their own neighbours and friends.
One can write a book about how execution, last mile delivery has been the hallmark of the Modi Govt even if there are inadequacies. People accept and reward “inadequacies” when there is visible change.
Covid
I have written reams of opinions on the Covid pandemic, its handling by the Modi Govt and the subsequent vaccine program implementation. The following blog link will not only speak of the vaccine story but also has the link to the handling of the pandemic.
Without elaboration on the subject, once the pandemic petered down, the vested interest global media and emotions reduced, folks with a contrarian view were heard, and even the most strident critics of the Modi Govt grudgingly accepted that the handling was good while his fan club called it brilliant. Any global management case study writer would have to agree that the overall handling was masterful. To be fair, this again was not due to some divine intelligence or ability, it was due to just one reason only – a end goal that had only the wellbeing of nation and its people in mind, a sincere open-minded approach, a ruthless focus on execution and last mile delivery. If at all the Modi Govt could be credited with a wisdom that opposition political parties have consistently not displayed, is the abiding faith in India, its people, their wisdom and knowledge as against a blind aping of the white western man’s ideas, solutions and strategies.
Economy:
Contrary to every doomsday scenario specialist on the Indian economy, be it within the Covid period or later on, the nation has done well. While those who look at the glass as half empty will have genuine criticisms, the others will have genuine admiration with optimism. When the global strategy was to convert citizens into mindless zombies, dependent on the Govt for everything, blanket social welfare for people and industries, the Modi Govt deserves the highest accolades for not succumbing to pressure of the unknown and in following extremely prudent economic policies. None of the policies had a political intent but a sincere end goal intent with no guarantee on its success or failure. With frequent mid-course corrections, the risk of failure reduced drastically. That this focus on the end goal resulted in political benefit is obvious.
The Govt did not give blanket waivers on loans or free cash to industry, business or even citizens, but instead in a prudent manner held hands to ensure that people did not drown, absorbed a part of the pain, but insisted that all able people will continue to walk even as the weak were carried. The Modi Govt doctrine was not about a omnipotent god figure protecting the people, it was about enlisting the support of the people and making them equal stakeholders in the efforts. It was about communicating that the Govt was not the horse that would pull the national carriage, but equally needed the people to push the carriage.
This strategy has resulted in significant growth at 6 to 8 %, made the nation get into the top 5 in the world economy and while one is just not seeing the sixers which can set the economy on fire, the focus is on accumulating the 1’s and 2s, a slow and steady climb. Given the uncertain global situation where wars and other hostile activities elsewhere could affect India, this strategy of being slow in my view is prudent strategy. Further, course correction with minimum pain is possible when the speed is lower.
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